Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)

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On December 10, 2015, President Obama signed the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) into law. ESSA requires State Education Agencies to be the key decision-makers in the development and implementation of ESSA. Individual states are now solely responsible to monitor teacher qualification, and to collect and report information about certification, endorsements, teaching assignments and years of experience.

School principals are charged with providing sufficient courses to students based on student needs and state requirements. Principals make teacher assignments based on certification and endorsements; however, there are occasions when administrators structure teaching assignments based on student need and on teacher strength. This may result in teachers teaching outside of their endorsement(s). In these cases, and as outlined in WAC 181-82-110, the district is required to report these Out-of-Field Teachers (OFT) to the Board of Directors for approval of the teaching assignment.

The Human Resources Department works closely with each principal to ensure their understanding of course assignments and teacher endorsement. If a principal determines there is a need for an OFT, HR works with the principal and teacher to create a plan by which either the teacher will stop teaching in the assignment or the teacher will obtain the appropriate endorsement. However, there may be instances where the nature of the student requirement is such that the district will request that the Board of Directors authorize long-term OFT, i.e. dance, guitar, innovative physical education, etc. Regardless of the reason for the OFT assignment, the principal works diligently to provide support to ensure the success of the teacher in the assignment.

Human Resources and principals work collaboratively to promote the best teachers in front of students to support Every Student Every Day.